Well the problem is optical disc is still the cheapest distribution method if you are trying to transfer large amounts of data and it's ubiquitous in that anyone can receive a disc in the mail.
Indeed, specifically as most of the world doesn't have the internet connection or the patients for downloadable media as large as a full 1080p movie with lossless audio.
Also, most of the world doesn't have an extensive download solution. No Netflix's in Europe, all we get is the iTunes store (which needs an Apple TV and only has 720p) and the Zune store on the 360 (which has limited selection and no options to own the media). And some places don't even have that!
The death of optical media may be obvious for some mediums (computer programs spring to mind), but not others as the internet speeds just are not up to delivering the same quality quickly.
@martynmcfarquhar What I fear is the iTunes scenario playing out all over again with our other media. Provide lower quality/compressed files for a smidgen less than it costs as a physical item and people gobble it up in droves.
Call me an old fuddy but I still buy CD's and rip them myself and keep the discs as master copies.
@rocklobster wake up to what? why Are people so hard up to claim physical media is dead? i don't get it. lets stop and think for a moment rather than spit regurgitated hearsay.
the largest currrently offered ps3 system has a 250GB hdd. now youd be lucky to store 10-15 complete games at that size. and i for one always have more than that for any system. and if your system crashes? 250GB of downloads to fil it again? wow. no thanks.
and video. there is exactly 1 streaming service that supports 1080i streaming. and it looks OK. the video is still highly compressed and you lose much of the detail. so the winner here is again blu-ray. i dont like watching shifting blocks for all you people that like things just "good enough", go for it. but i prefer quality and as was stated before, physical media has the pipe beat hands down. how many people do you expect to have internet connections to their tv's anyway? you won't see 90% penetration like that for quite a few years. i would say on the order of at least a decade.
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Not enough to save the optical disc as a useful media.
Its 2010 Sony, time to wake up.
@rocklobster
Well the problem is optical disc is still the cheapest distribution method if you are trying to transfer large amounts of data and it's ubiquitous in that anyone can receive a disc in the mail.
@(Unverified)
Indeed, specifically as most of the world doesn't have the internet connection or the patients for downloadable media as large as a full 1080p movie with lossless audio.
Also, most of the world doesn't have an extensive download solution. No Netflix's in Europe, all we get is the iTunes store (which needs an Apple TV and only has 720p) and the Zune store on the 360 (which has limited selection and no options to own the media). And some places don't even have that!
The death of optical media may be obvious for some mediums (computer programs spring to mind), but not others as the internet speeds just are not up to delivering the same quality quickly.
@martynmcfarquhar What I fear is the iTunes scenario playing out all over again with our other media. Provide lower quality/compressed files for a smidgen less than it costs as a physical item and people gobble it up in droves.
Call me an old fuddy but I still buy CD's and rip them myself and keep the discs as master copies.
@rocklobster wake up to what?
why Are people so hard up to claim physical media is dead? i don't get it. lets stop and think for a moment rather than spit regurgitated hearsay.
the largest currrently offered ps3 system has a 250GB hdd. now youd be lucky to store 10-15 complete games at that size. and i for one always have more than that for any system. and if your system crashes? 250GB of downloads to fil it again? wow. no thanks.
and video. there is exactly 1 streaming service that supports 1080i streaming. and it looks OK. the video is still highly compressed and you lose much of the detail. so the winner here is again blu-ray. i dont like watching shifting blocks for all you people that like things just "good enough", go for it. but i prefer quality and as was stated before, physical media has the pipe beat hands down.
how many people do you expect to have internet connections to their tv's anyway? you won't see 90% penetration like that for quite a few years. i would say on the order of at least a decade.
@(Unverified) thats wrong. cheaper price per mb on hds BY far vs bluray or dvds actually